Michael Essien, nicknamed “The Bison” thanks to his tough, powerful tackling style, is a Ghanaian footballer who became the most expensive African footballer when English giants Chelsea secured him for a £24.4 million transfer fee in 2005. Essien has been capped more than 50 times for the Ghana national team, and has played for clubs around the world including Lyon, Real Madrid and Milan.

Essien was born in Accra, Ghana, and was first noticed by European scouts when he impressed in the 1999 FIFA U-17 World Championship. Manchester United was the first club to show interest in the talented youngster, but Essien moved to France to sign for Division 1 club Bastia in 2000. After spending 3 seasons with the French side, he moved to Ligue 1 title holders Lyon, helping the side to win back-to-back league titles in 2003–04 and 2004–05. Essien won the honour of Ligue 1 Player of the Year in 2005 and was nominated for the 2005 FIFA World Player of the Year Award, bringing him to the attention of Chelsea.

His move to the English team was a success for Essien and club, his efforts helping Chelsea to win the Premier League in 2006 and 2010, three FA Cups and the UEFA Champions League in 2012. On a personal level, Essien was nominated for numerous accolades, including a Ballon d’Or nomination in 2006, and voted as the third Best African Footballer of the Year in 2006. Essien won the 2006 BBC African footballer of the year award, and became the first African player to be voted Chelsea Player of the Year for his contributions in the 2006–07 season.

Essien’s glittering international career has seen him represent his nation at three Africa Cup of Nations tournaments and the 2006 and 2014 FIFA World Cups.